Annual Meeting

Join the conversation on how cells talk to themselves and to each other

A 2022 annual meeting session on membranes and lipids
Tamas Balla Lois Weisman
By Tamas Balla and Lois Weisman
Oct. 6, 2021

Cellular membranes are key to the compartmentalization of cellular processes and serve as platforms for the assembly of protein signaling complexes. Most human diseases can be traced to defects in signal generation and decoding caused by altered interaction of proteins with cellular membranes.

The unique lipid composition of different membranes defines organelle identity and is critical for protein–membrane interactions. How cells generate and maintain the specific lipid composition of their organelles against complex and highly dynamic vesicular transport pathways is a fundamental question at the intersection of lipid and cell biology. Moreover, nonvesicular lipid transfer and contact sites formed between various organelles, as well as transient spikes in signaling lipids, are critical for cell signaling and homeostasis.

The theme of this session is how to respond to these important questions, and the program features expert speakers covering a variety of exciting topics within this theme.

Keywords: lipid transfer proteins, membrane contact sites, lipid compartmentalization, lipid dynamics, cell signaling

Who should attend: both experts and novices who recognize that not all lipids are bad for your health — and also people who are interested in proteins, as we understand that membranes without proteins and proteins without membranes would not support life

Theme song: "Come Together" by the Beatles, the first allusion to the importance of organelle contact sites

This session is powered by Palmolive — chasing lipids since 1898.

Talks

  • Regulation of PIP2 homeostasis at ER–plasma membrane contacts by Nir proteins — Jen Liou, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
  • Roles for interorganelle contacts in organizing metabolism — W. Mike Henne, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
  • Systematic analysis of membrane contact sites — Maya Schuldiner, Weizmann Institute of Science
  • Novel pathways of intracellular membrane lipid transport and neurodegenerative diseases — Pietro De Camilli, Yale University School of Medicine and Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • Chemical tools for understanding phospholipase D signaling — Jeremy Baskin, Cornell University
  • Control of the cellular lipid landscape by inositol lipids — Tamas Balla, National Institutes of Health
  • Volume electron microscopy analysis reveals a new type of membrane junction required for mixing of parental genomes after fertilization — Orna Cohen–Fix, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
  • Automatic whole cell organelle segmentation in volumetric electron microscopy — Aubrey Weigel, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Research Campus
  • Regulation of membrane dynamics via phosphoinositide signaling cascades — Lois Weisman, University of Michigan
  • Novel mechanisms in phosphoinositide turnover — Raghu Padinjat, National Centre for Biological Sciences
  • Regulation of COPII dynamics in development and disease — Anjon Audhya, University of Wisconsin–Madison
  • Intracellular trafficking during neutrophil chemotaxis — Carole Parent, University of Michigan

Learn more

Check out all ten thematic symposia planned for the 2022 ASBMB annual meeting:

Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?

Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.

Learn more
Tamas Balla
Tamas Balla

Tamas Balla is a senior investigator in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, leading the Section on Molecular Signal Transduction.

Lois Weisman
Lois Weisman

Lois Weisman is a member of the Life Sciences Institute and professor in the cell and developmental biology department at the University of Michigan whose research is focused on phosphoinositide lipid signaling and organelle inheritance.

Related articles

MCSs stick the landing
Christopher Beh & Jen Liou
Lipids hold it all together
Maria Fedorova & Neale Ridgway
Lipids, lipids everywhere!
Michael Airola & Robert V. Stahelin
Arginine tango
Nicole Lynn
These walls are worth the cost
Teresa Dunn–Giroux & Steve Claypool

Featured jobs

from the ASBMB career center

Get the latest from ASBMB Today

Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.

Latest in Science

Science highlights or most popular articles

Understanding the roles of extracellular matrix and vesicles in valvular disease
Profile

Understanding the roles of extracellular matrix and vesicles in valvular disease

Oct. 30, 2025

MOSAIC scholar Cassandra Clift uses mass spectrometry and multiomics to study cardiovascular calcification and collagen dysregulation, bridging her background in bioengineering and biology to investigate extracellular vesicles and heart disease.

Lipid profiles reveal sex differences in type 2 diabetes
Journal News

Lipid profiles reveal sex differences in type 2 diabetes

Oct. 29, 2025

Researchers explored the lipid profiles of individuals with type 2 diabetes and identified potentially useful lipid biomarkers for this condition.

Serum lipids may predict early diabetes risk
Journal News

Serum lipids may predict early diabetes risk

Oct. 29, 2025

Researchers found that levels of two key fatty acids may predict worsening tolerance for glucose, independent of body fat and insulin levels. In turn, these fatty acids may serve as early T2D biomarkers.

Sex and diet shape fat tissue lipid profiles in obesity
Journal News

Sex and diet shape fat tissue lipid profiles in obesity

Oct. 29, 2025

Researchers found that sex hormone levels and diet both influence inflammation and lipid composition in obesity.

Mapping the placenta’s hormone network
Journal News

Mapping the placenta’s hormone network

Oct. 21, 2025

Study uncovers how the placenta actively metabolizes not only glucocorticoids but also novel androgens and progesterones, reshaping our understanding of pregnancy and its complications.

Biochemists and molecular biologists sweep major 2025 honors
News

Biochemists and molecular biologists sweep major 2025 honors

Oct. 20, 2025

Recent Nobel, MacArthur and Kimberly Prize honorees highlight the power of biochemistry and molecular biology to drive discovery, including immune tolerance, vaccine design and metabolic disease, and to advance medicine and improve human health.